Illuminates of Thanateros
Encyclopedia
The Illuminates of Thanateros is an international magical
organization founded in 1978, focusing on practical group work in chaos magic
. This fraternal
magical society has been an important influence on some forms of modern occultism.
and Eros
— Greek gods of death and sex (respectively). The idea is that sex and death represent the positive and negative methods of attaining "magical consciousness". The word "Illuminates" is used in accordance with the claimed tradition of calling such societies — in which those who have mastered the secrets of magic help bring others to mastership — "the Illuminati
".
and Peter Carroll, two young British
occultists with a strong interest in ritual magic, began to publish a magazine called The New Equinox
. Both were connected with a burgeoning occult scene developing around a metaphysical bookstore in London
's East End
called The Phoenix. According to themselves, both men quickly became dissatisfied with the state of the Magical Arts and the deficiencies they saw in the available occult groups. So in 1978 they published a small announcement in their magazine proclaiming the creation of a new kind of magical order, one based on a hierarchy of magical ability rather than invitation, a magical meritocracy
. It was to incorporate elements of Thelema
, Zos Kia Cultus
, shamanism
, tantra
and Taoism
.
Carroll and Sherwin began to publish private monographs detailing their system of magical practice, some of which had been articles in The New Equinox, others intended as instruction to members of their order. The new style of magic they introduced, focusing on practical skills as opposed to metaphysical systems, became known as chaos magic
. In the 1980s they began to attract a following in England
, Germany
and Austria
, including influential occult writers and practitioners.
Before the Eighties were over, Sherwin resigned in protest that the IOT was beginning to resemble the hierarchical orders that were once anathema to the concept of the group. Carroll carried on and made the IOT known to occultists around the world largely through his books Liber Null and Psychonaut.
. Many German members left the group.
Numerous persons who were associated with the IOT during the 1980s disliked the increasingly draconian and un-chaotic Pact policies and dogmatic pronouncements at the close of the decade. A substantial portion of these disgruntled became members of non-affiliated chaos magic groups, such as the Z(Cluster), KIA, Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, and Black Hole Sun. Others kept their IOT membership, while choosing to remain outside Pact.
Shortly after, Carroll published Liber Kaos and retired from active participation in the Pact. He explicitly stated this was not a consequence of disagreement with the state of the Pact but a matter of his personal development. He remains committed to the IOT.
Although temples do not generally advertise their existence, at least one each in Baltimore and Milwaukee currently do. The IOT is also active in a number of other countries.
The Pact of the IOT has acquired a less outspoken leadership, out of a desire to creating the ideal zone of privacy and creativity. Although most of what has occurred within the IOT is a matter of confidentiality, numerous changes have been put in place, in an attempt to preclude the mistakes of the past. The Pact also replaced the former charter Liber Pactionis with The Book, which gives another viewpoint of the path that some consider more realistic.
There is a "side-degree" called Priest/Priestess of Chaos that involves social and magical service to others, including outside the IOT. It may be undertaken as an addition to the 3°; all holders of the 2° and 1° are expected to be able to fill the role. There are also two special degrees, 0°=5° and Elder for 2° and 1° members who retire from their duties, described as identical to the 3° and retirement respectively.
There also are several offices which may be taken, most notably including the Insubordinate, a low-ranking (4° or 3°) member who ideally is to be informed about all work of a high-ranking member he or she is assigned to, and charged to criticize and ridicule it, channel feedback from others concerning it, and will veto it if necessary. Every Adept, Magus, and Magister Templi (leader of a Temple) has an Insubordinate.
The IOT does not charge membership or initiation
fees. This is a difference from many other international magical orders, and indeed from most fraternal organizations. Unlike such groups as the OTO
or various offshoots of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
, the IOT is a non-incorporated society, rather than a legal entity or non-profit corporation.
Members are obliged to keep silent on internal affairs and the identities of their fellows
. The latter rule does not seem to apply to deceased persons, as it is not a secret William S. Burroughs
, Timothy Leary
, and Robert Anton Wilson
have been members.
The Pact consists mostly of largely autonomous Temples arranged into autonomous geographical Sections or Satrapies, i.e. Austria
, United Kingdom
, USA, Germany
, Brazil
etc.
or occult approaches to magic with scorn or derision. This applies in particular to the IOT, which has been described by Phil Hine
as "the Order for 'serious' Chaos Magicians in the same way that the OTO exists for 'serious' Thelemites
." The view that occultism is rife with superstitions and needs to be reformed or replaced by a bolder and more critical approach to magic has been prominent in programmatic texts from early on. The IOT has issued statements that profess a degree of elitism
. Still the IOT is commonly understood by outsiders to be an occult or neoshamanic organization.
The Pact claims to be involved in continuous magical research but appears hesitant to let others participate in the process. The group has a comparatively difficult application procedure and appears to reject a great majority of applicants. However, chaos magic has long spread beyond the IOT as evidenced by the large community of practitioners throughout the world. IOT members such as Ramsey Dukes, Dave Lee, Julian Vayne and many others continue to produce a large part of the literature available as regards chaos magic. Other sources of chaos magic literature include Kenneth Grant
and Jaq D. Hawkins
.
The presence of hierarchy
in the IOT has been the cause of a lot of dispute around it in the chaos magic scene. Opposers think the concept is un-chaotic and limiting to individual members, while defenders believe the tradeoff in chaoism allows for much more effective group work, especially on an international scale. Many chaos magical practitioners prefer to work in unique settings devoid of any structure at all.
While little activity of the IOT is visible to the outside public, the order has held annual open seminars for nearly two decades. Many notable chaos magicians have been speakers there.
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
organization founded in 1978, focusing on practical group work in chaos magic
Chaos magic
Chaos magic is a school of the modern magical tradition which emphasizes the pragmatic use of belief systems and the creation of new and unorthodox methods.-General principles:...
. This fraternal
Fraternity
A fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
magical society has been an important influence on some forms of modern occultism.
Name
"Thanateros" is a portmanteau of ThanatosThanatos
In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the daemon personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person...
and Eros
Eros
Eros , in Greek mythology, was the Greek god of love. His Roman counterpart was Cupid . Some myths make him a primordial god, while in other myths, he is the son of Aphrodite....
— Greek gods of death and sex (respectively). The idea is that sex and death represent the positive and negative methods of attaining "magical consciousness". The word "Illuminates" is used in accordance with the claimed tradition of calling such societies — in which those who have mastered the secrets of magic help bring others to mastership — "the Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
".
Early
In the late 1970s, Ray SherwinRay Sherwin
Ray Sherwin, born in 1952 in Yorkshire, England, is a modern occult author and publisher, and one of the originators of the system of magical discipline called chaos magic....
and Peter Carroll, two young British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
occultists with a strong interest in ritual magic, began to publish a magazine called The New Equinox
The New Equinox
The New Equinox is a Ritual Magic publication founded in the mid 1970s by Ray Sherwin whose main interest at that time was the magick of Aleister Crowley. Tony Venables was joint editor for a few issues. Pete Carroll, who later went on, with Ray Sherwin, to found The Illuminates of Thanateros, was...
. Both were connected with a burgeoning occult scene developing around a metaphysical bookstore in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's East End
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
called The Phoenix. According to themselves, both men quickly became dissatisfied with the state of the Magical Arts and the deficiencies they saw in the available occult groups. So in 1978 they published a small announcement in their magazine proclaiming the creation of a new kind of magical order, one based on a hierarchy of magical ability rather than invitation, a magical meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
. It was to incorporate elements of Thelema
Thelema
Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...
, Zos Kia Cultus
Zos Kia Cultus
Zos Kia Cultus may refer to*a system of magic developed by Austin Osman Spare, see Austin_Osman_Spare#Influence_on_Chaos_magic*an album by the blackened death metal band Behemoth, see Zos Kia Cultus...
, shamanism
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
, tantra
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
and Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
.
Carroll and Sherwin began to publish private monographs detailing their system of magical practice, some of which had been articles in The New Equinox, others intended as instruction to members of their order. The new style of magic they introduced, focusing on practical skills as opposed to metaphysical systems, became known as chaos magic
Chaos magic
Chaos magic is a school of the modern magical tradition which emphasizes the pragmatic use of belief systems and the creation of new and unorthodox methods.-General principles:...
. In the 1980s they began to attract a following in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, including influential occult writers and practitioners.
Before the Eighties were over, Sherwin resigned in protest that the IOT was beginning to resemble the hierarchical orders that were once anathema to the concept of the group. Carroll carried on and made the IOT known to occultists around the world largely through his books Liber Null and Psychonaut.
Crisis
In 1990 and 1991 the group experienced what was called the Ice Magick Wars around differences between other prominent members and Ralph TegtmeierRalph Tegtmeier
Ralph Tegtmeier , also known as Frater V∴D∴ and Frater U∴D∴ , is a German occultist, a member of the Fraternitas Saturni, and an ex-member of the Illuminates of Thanateros.Horst E...
. Many German members left the group.
Numerous persons who were associated with the IOT during the 1980s disliked the increasingly draconian and un-chaotic Pact policies and dogmatic pronouncements at the close of the decade. A substantial portion of these disgruntled became members of non-affiliated chaos magic groups, such as the Z(Cluster), KIA, Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, and Black Hole Sun. Others kept their IOT membership, while choosing to remain outside Pact.
Shortly after, Carroll published Liber Kaos and retired from active participation in the Pact. He explicitly stated this was not a consequence of disagreement with the state of the Pact but a matter of his personal development. He remains committed to the IOT.
Today
The Pact remains active as of 2009, as well as numerous reformed chaos temples.Although temples do not generally advertise their existence, at least one each in Baltimore and Milwaukee currently do. The IOT is also active in a number of other countries.
The Pact of the IOT has acquired a less outspoken leadership, out of a desire to creating the ideal zone of privacy and creativity. Although most of what has occurred within the IOT is a matter of confidentiality, numerous changes have been put in place, in an attempt to preclude the mistakes of the past. The Pact also replaced the former charter Liber Pactionis with The Book, which gives another viewpoint of the path that some consider more realistic.
Structure
The Pact organizes itself along the somewhat "traditional" lines of a fraternal occult order, with initiations into progressive degrees denoting magickal skill, administrative responsibility and leadership within the group. It is notable that unlike other occult societies with a degree system, the Pact rewards progression in degree with hardly any privileges, but "punishes" it with added duties and responsibilities.| No. | Title | Description |
| / | Novice Novice A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and... |
not considered a member, undergoes novitiate and prepares for initiation |
| 4° | Neophyte | gets to know the group from inside, not given any instructions, may leave or be expelled without explanation |
| 3° | Initiate | full member, offers magical abilities to the IOT, departure or expulsion requires explanation |
| 2° | Adept Adept An adept is an individual identified as having attained a specific level of knowledge, skill, or aptitude in doctrines relevant to a particular author or organization.-H. P. Blavatsky:... |
required to actively endeavor for the group, inspire others, organize and lead |
| 1° | Magus | required to also coordinate the IOT internationally |
There is a "side-degree" called Priest/Priestess of Chaos that involves social and magical service to others, including outside the IOT. It may be undertaken as an addition to the 3°; all holders of the 2° and 1° are expected to be able to fill the role. There are also two special degrees, 0°=5° and Elder for 2° and 1° members who retire from their duties, described as identical to the 3° and retirement respectively.
There also are several offices which may be taken, most notably including the Insubordinate, a low-ranking (4° or 3°) member who ideally is to be informed about all work of a high-ranking member he or she is assigned to, and charged to criticize and ridicule it, channel feedback from others concerning it, and will veto it if necessary. Every Adept, Magus, and Magister Templi (leader of a Temple) has an Insubordinate.
The IOT does not charge membership or initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
fees. This is a difference from many other international magical orders, and indeed from most fraternal organizations. Unlike such groups as the OTO
Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century...
or various offshoots of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was a magical order active in Great Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which practiced theurgy and spiritual development...
, the IOT is a non-incorporated society, rather than a legal entity or non-profit corporation.
Members are obliged to keep silent on internal affairs and the identities of their fellows
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is an ethical principle associated with several professions . In ethics, and in law and alternative forms of legal resolution such as mediation, some types of communication between a person and one of these professionals are "privileged" and may not be discussed or divulged to...
. The latter rule does not seem to apply to deceased persons, as it is not a secret William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
, and Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
have been members.
The Pact consists mostly of largely autonomous Temples arranged into autonomous geographical Sections or Satrapies, i.e. Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, USA, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
etc.
Relation to the occult subculture
Chaos magicians have frequently reacted to more traditional, religiousNeopaganism
Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe...
or occult approaches to magic with scorn or derision. This applies in particular to the IOT, which has been described by Phil Hine
Phil Hine
Philip M. Hine, more commonly known as Phil Hine, is a writer, book reviewer, and occultist. He became known internationally through his written works Pseudonomicon, Condensed Chaos, and Prime Chaos, as well as several essays on the topics of chaos magic and Cthulhu Mythos magick.-Biography:Growing...
as "the Order for 'serious' Chaos Magicians in the same way that the OTO exists for 'serious' Thelemites
Thelema
Thelema is a religious philosophy that was established, defined and developed by the early 20th century British writer and ceremonial magician, Aleister Crowley. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a religious experience that he had in Egypt in 1904...
." The view that occultism is rife with superstitions and needs to be reformed or replaced by a bolder and more critical approach to magic has been prominent in programmatic texts from early on. The IOT has issued statements that profess a degree of elitism
Elitism
Elitism is the belief or attitude that some individuals, who form an elite — a select group of people with intellect, wealth, specialized training or experience, or other distinctive attributes — are those whose views on a matter are to be taken the most seriously or carry the most...
. Still the IOT is commonly understood by outsiders to be an occult or neoshamanic organization.
The Pact claims to be involved in continuous magical research but appears hesitant to let others participate in the process. The group has a comparatively difficult application procedure and appears to reject a great majority of applicants. However, chaos magic has long spread beyond the IOT as evidenced by the large community of practitioners throughout the world. IOT members such as Ramsey Dukes, Dave Lee, Julian Vayne and many others continue to produce a large part of the literature available as regards chaos magic. Other sources of chaos magic literature include Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant
Kenneth Grant was a British occultist, novelist, and poet, who with his partner, the artist Steffi Grant, headed the magical order previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis but which is now referred to as the Typhonian Order.-Occult background:Grant's occult experiences began in 1939...
and Jaq D. Hawkins
Jaq D. Hawkins
Jaq D. Hawkins, also known as Denise Channing, is an occultist, author, and lecturer on chaos magic, born in Southern England who spent much of her early life in California. She currently lives in the United Kingdom...
.
The presence of hierarchy
Hierarchy
A hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another...
in the IOT has been the cause of a lot of dispute around it in the chaos magic scene. Opposers think the concept is un-chaotic and limiting to individual members, while defenders believe the tradeoff in chaoism allows for much more effective group work, especially on an international scale. Many chaos magical practitioners prefer to work in unique settings devoid of any structure at all.
While little activity of the IOT is visible to the outside public, the order has held annual open seminars for nearly two decades. Many notable chaos magicians have been speakers there.
Third party
- Evans, Dave (2007). The History of British Magic After Crowley. Hidden Publishing. ISBN 0-95552-370-2
- Greer, John Michael (2003). The New Encyclopedia of the Occult. Llewellyn Worldwide. ISBN 1-56718-336-0
- Gallagher, Eugene V, Ashcraft, W Michael (2006). Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-27598-712-4
Primary
- Carroll, PeterPeter CarrollPeter James Carroll is a modern occultist, author, cofounder of the Illuminates of Thanateros, and practitioner of chaos magic theory.-Biography:...
(1987). Liber Null & Psychonaut. Weiser Books. ISBN 0-87728-639-6 - Carroll, PeterPeter CarrollPeter James Carroll is a modern occultist, author, cofounder of the Illuminates of Thanateros, and practitioner of chaos magic theory.-Biography:...
(1992). Liber Kaos. Weiser Books. ISBN 0-87728-742-2 - Hine, PhilPhil HinePhilip M. Hine, more commonly known as Phil Hine, is a writer, book reviewer, and occultist. He became known internationally through his written works Pseudonomicon, Condensed Chaos, and Prime Chaos, as well as several essays on the topics of chaos magic and Cthulhu Mythos magick.-Biography:Growing...
(1993). Prime Chaos. New Falcon Publications. ISBN 1-56184-137-4 - Hine, PhilPhil HinePhilip M. Hine, more commonly known as Phil Hine, is a writer, book reviewer, and occultist. He became known internationally through his written works Pseudonomicon, Condensed Chaos, and Prime Chaos, as well as several essays on the topics of chaos magic and Cthulhu Mythos magick.-Biography:Growing...
(1995). Condensed Chaos. New Falcon Publications. ISBN 1-56184-117-X - Frater .717. (1992). Handbuch der Chaopsmagie. Bohmeier Verlag. ISBN 978-3-89094-257-5
- Illuminates of Thanateros. The Book (English) (charta and history)
- Illuminates of Thanateros. The Book (English and German) (charta and history)